About

Foodseum (Chicago's first food museum)

$33,445

pledged of $30,000 goal

312

backers

A huge THANK YOU to every backer who helped us reach $30,000! We're so excited to have you with us as we open the first Foodseum exhibit in 2015!

As featured by:

Foodseum is Chicago's first food museum! A physical museum completely dedicated to the education, celebration and inspiration of food. Our interactive exhibits will ignite your passion for food as we take you on a journey through the history, the farm-to-table transformation and the people behind the dishes we all enjoy. Discover local and international flavors, learn the stories and cultures behind what you eat, and experience a new and exciting side of the wondrous world of food.

Over the past 8 months our team has greatly enjoyed debuting a small taste of what Foodseum will offer through mini-exhibits at local events and festivals. The support we've seen from Chicago's amazing food fans has been incredible! We're excited to have you with us on the next step of this journey: our first temporary exhibit!

Foodseum is a non-profit organization recognized as tax exempt under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Service Code.

The purpose of this Kickstarter project is to fund the development of the first Foodseum exhibit, 'The Hot Dog and Encased Meat of the World.' $30,000 will enable our team to: collect, care for and integrate artifacts, build interactive learning experiences, obtain the necessary equipment to run cooking demonstrations and deliver a truly amazing and unique experience.

We've gathered some of the best minds in experiential and exhibition design to create a fun, engaging and overall inspirational experience. Now we need your help! Each reward you purchase through Kickstarter will bring us one step closer to making their ideas a reality for all of Chicago to enjoy. Every dollar counts so please purchase your reward today!

The Hot Dog and Encased Meat of the World

At Foodseum you don't just learn about food, you experience it! Interacting with all 5 senses in every exhibit you're immersed in the story of a specific food type.

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We love Chicago and its amazing history and culture! To best honor this, the first Foodseum temporary exhibit will feature 'The Hot Dog and Encased Meat of the World.' Did you know Chicago has more hot dog stands than any other city in the world?! (2,500 to almost 3,000 stands at any given time)

The exhibit will begin with the origins of encased meat, showcasing the first settlers in Chicago and the artisan butchers who supplied their local communities with various traditional sausages.

We'll take you inside the industrialization of food in the late 1800s and the rise of the Hot Dog as an American icon.

You'll learn about the growth of food advertising, the continued increase of food's industrialization in the 20th century, the re-emergence of local artisan craftsman and the development of today's endless list of flavors.

As with every Foodseum exhibit, this story will include:

History and Evolution

Farm-to-Table (How it's Made)

Discovery (International and Innovative uses)

Inspiration

We can't wait to bring this story to life and take you along on this journey to uncover stories, discover artifacts, and of course try something new!

After making appearances at several festivals and events in Chicago, we're working to open our first temporary exhibit in May of 2015. Our team is currently pounding the pavement trying to find the right home for the first exhibit somewhere in this great city.

The ideal temporary home for 'The Hot Dog and Encased Meat of the World' would consist of 2,500 sq. ft. with black iron fixtures, plus additional space for a small counter-service restaurant. At this point, all exhibit designs are being made flexible to fit into various building layouts.

Our long-term goal is to open a permanent museum space with multiple rotating exhibits in 2017. This museum would represent a center-point for the stories, how-to and inspiration behind all things edible as well as a giant step forward for food education in Chicago!

Our goal is to create an educational experience that sparks your passion for food.

As humans, we all eat. Food is a large part of every culture's history the food we eat today is full of amazing stories, innovations, and combinations of flavors from multiple cultures. However, in our increasingly busy lives, these stories, flavors and traditions are too often taken for granted.

Foodseum aims to fix this by providing a universally accessible location dedicated to helping visitors discover their passion for food. Through interactive exhibits, educational seminars, events and developmental programming, Foodseum will provide: fun insights into the history and evolution of food types, basic food education, simple preparation demonstrations and introductions to innovative and international flavors. Most importantly, Foodseum works to inspire a passion to continue to explore the wonderful world of food.

As a nonprofit organization (recognized by section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code), our mission is simply to provide a fun, education-based location for anyone to learn about, celebrate and be inspired by food.

Our core team consists of 13 dedicated leaders each contributing their experience to the opening of Foodseum. Assisting in every aspect are a continuously growing number of professional volunteers.

Want to help make Foodseum a reality?! Join our volunteer team by sending an e-mail with your area of interest to info@foodseum.org.

We owe a great deal of thanks to the following organizations (and many more) for their kind advice and support as we work to build Chicago's first food museum.

Want to help? We'd be excited to hear from you. Please send an e-mail to info@foodseum.org.

Risks and challenges

Over the past 8 months we have built a leadership team of 13, gained the advice and support of over 50 local and national organizations, and over 70 professional volunteers dedicated to opening Foodseum.

Members of our team have extensive experience in experiential design, exhibition design, interior design, graphic design, architecture, restaurant construction, food history, culinary arts, marketing, public relations, community management, real estate, and fundraising. We believe the entire team is well-positioned to tackle the challenges this project will present.

We are working as hard as possible to open the doors to the 'Hot Dog and Encased Meat of the World' in May of 2015. With the help of a number of talented advisors we're searching the city to find a space to host the exhibit. As we do not yet have a location confirmed, there is a risk that identifying a space, completing any needed build-out and installing the exhibit will push the opening past May of 2015. Throughout the entire process we'll keep you updated on each step of the progress. Please know that our entire team is dedicated to creating a center-place for interactive food education in Chicago and will continue to work to open Foodseum as soon as is physically possible.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 20 or more
About US$ 20

Holiday Special! The perfect gift for any foodie, this package includes 2 tickets to Chicago's first ever food museum and immortalizes their face on the Kickstart Mosaic as a founder of Foodseum.
(Within 24hrs of redeeming this reward you’ll receive a e-gift certificate)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 100 or more
About US$ 100

Annual membership: With your 'Founding Membership Card' you and a guest will have unique access into the first exhibit a week before it opens to the public, receive invites to exclusive Foodseum events, and free
admission for you and a guest to any
2015 Foodseum exhibit. All this and the 'Founder' thank you package!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 150 or more
About US$ 150

Give the gift of food and fun! Send a friend, neighbor, co-worker, or dearest love a dancing food-gram! A dancing Foodseum team member decked out in their favorite food costume will deliver a dozen donuts, balloons, a personalized card and two general admission tickets to the person of your choosing!
(This reward is only available for delivery in the City of Chicago)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 200 or more
About US$ 200

Engraved fork and ceremony invite: your name engraved on a fork proudly displayed at the first temporary exhibit as an official sponsor of Foodseum. An invitation to the exclusive engraved fork hanging tribute ceremony, an annual membership and the 'Founder' thank you package!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 400 or more
About US$ 400

Invitation for you and a guest to join us at the exclusive 2015 Foodseum opening Gala. You will also receive the engraved fork and ceremony invite, an annual membership and the 'Founder' thank you package!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 3,000 or more
About US$ 3,000

A truly one-of-a-kind dinner experience hosted in coordination with one of our premium dinner sponsors. These dinners are not to be missed! Please see further details for each experience on the Kickstarter page. First come first pick!

You will also receive the engraved fork and ceremony invite, an annual membership and the 'Founder' thank you package!
(Tax exempt deduction = $1,500)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge US$ 5,000 or more
About US$ 5,000

The ultimate Chicago 'Foodcation' for you and a guest! This amazing experience includes: 2-nights stay in a one bedroom suite at the brand new Virgin Hotel, donut tasting, personalized food tour by ABC's Steve Dolinsky, surprise featured dinner, sunday brunch, and a chocolate spa treatment.

You will also receive the engraved fork and ceremony invite, an annual membership and the 'Founder' thank you package!
(Tax exempt deduction = $5,000)